In a revolutionary move towards advancing education and fostering connectivity, the Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN), in cooperation with the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), launched the eduroam service – a global settlement free Wi-Fi roaming for research and education community – at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This has become the first such instance in the Asia-Pacific region.
The activation of eduroam at HSIA signifies a significant step forward for the research and education community. This enables the travelers to continue their academic and research pursuits without interruption, whether it’s participating in remote lectures, accessing online resources, collaborating with colleagues, or online social interaction with their family or friend. The availability of “eduroam” at the airport opens up many possibilities for research and education activities and promotes international cooperation and knowledge sharing.
The enablement of eduroam at HSIA did not happen overnight, but instead through several processes. BdREN has been striving to launch the “eduroam” service at HSIA since months. The process started with getting approval from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) as telecom regulatory authority of Bangladesh. The next step was to obtain the permission from CAAB for broadcasting the “eduroam” SSID on HSIA’s Wi-Fi network. Finally, on the 31st May 2023, permission from CAAB was obtained. It took around three (3) weeks more to test and commission the service – which finally became successful just days before. The Wi-Fi infrastructure and Internet access for eduroam at HSIA are provided by ADN Telecom Limited, a local Internet Service Provider (ISP).
HSIA has become one among more than 30 international airports in the world that provide “eduroam” services to the travelers. Forging ahead with this successful enablement of “eduroam” service at HSIA, BdREN is looking forward to enabling “eduroam” service at other international airports in the country such as the Osmani International Airport, Sylhet, and the Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong. Then the local airports will be targeted. This is in line with CAAB’s commitment to provide high-speed broadband internet access to the travelers.
It is to be mentioned that “eduroam” is currently available in 26 universities and research institutions in Bangladesh. The “eduroam” SSID is being broadcasted by more than 3000 Wi-Fi access points throughout the country, mainly at research and education premises.
